By Bayo Ogunmupe
Being dedicated to certain principles is more important than what those codes are. Which is why there is much to be said for focus in the drive after success in life. For me, focus has spelled the difference between the Ogunmupe dream of 2011 and my dream in 2019. In 2011, I was unfocused, only after the outcomes of my goals. But for the Ogunmupe 2019 Resolution which expires this December, I am obsessed with focus: both its process and its final outcome which looked impossible in January. Focus makes you rich financially and in life. Focus is that all encompassing philosophy which people dismiss as productivity nonsense or an ideal that in practice, doesn't make any difference. Indeed, focus makes you rich. I am happy writing this piece because due to focusing, everything disruptive of my new lifestyle has somehow escaped me through the backdoor into oblivion. The present focused lifestyle is seeing achievement within my grasp by the end of the year.
By making focus my goal not the outcomes, I have been able to eliminate the disruptive influence of hangers on. Whereas with outcomes, you become obsessed with what your future will be like; which is like gambling in the casino and betting on your lucky number. Focus forces you to do the work. What works and what doesn't work is out of your orbit. Let the world decide whether your work is useful while you work on whatever is within the focus of your control. Thus, embracing the power of one thing ensures success as against throwing many balls up simultaneously. You court disaster when you take your eye off them for a second then all the balls then hit the ground to your dismay. Thus, what fostered my success has been focusing on one thing at a time.
In my life pursuits, there is only one career option: writing. In my home life, I have only one partner. I am able to pay my bills because I have no predators, no hangers on, no mistresses. In my love of radio and podcasts, there is only the Voice of America. Focusing on one thing removes decision fatigue that clouds our minds and prevents our potential from shining through like the early morning sun. Could you just pick one thing in life, to pursue and put all your focus into? So that you have a chance at qualifying for the achievement of enormous results that look alien to a normal human? Another aide to focusing is removing your own judgment from your focus. Getting things done engenders focus while thinking on whether you are focused or not, only leads to disappointment. Spend your time beginning the work and focus will come by default.
Judging your focus is a sport made for perfection chasers. The best way is to chase getting started instead. Which is why gaining focus is as important as breaking focus. The way I break my focus is to do some housework, clean and repair my shoes, go for a haircut and say hello to a senior friend. Breaking my focus this way allows my mind to rest so that it can be ready to get started again, pumping out more work and creativity. For you, find a bit of housework you love and inject that into the blank spaces between focus sessions and giving your mind some relief from stunted creativity through energy drain that focusing creates.
Assert your power by never letting anyone sway you from focus. Be wary of these little red dots that want to rob you of your focus and steal your End of Year bonus. Those red dots include distractions from apps; social media and instant messaging. Telephone calls are a distraction, sometimes it is wise to turn of your phones during creative problem solving. Otherwise, you will never be focused in doing tangible writing if you allow these red dots during your work.
In creating an enriching focus, you have to give up many things; you have to say no to giving a lecture at a university or Institute who are not likely to pay for your time. You must bear it in mind that creating a personal legacy through your writings are more lasting than an occasional applause. William Shakespeare is the greatest playwright of all time. He left no survivors, no offsprings and no honorary degrees. He achieved that feat through his focus, his writings and his activities. So, say no to jumping on a call with no agenda. Say no to catching up with a mentor or joining a group chat. If you want to be focused, reduce the time spent on news feeds of other people's lives, invisible masters you don't worship.
You can be focused and it will make you rich in life. Life completely changes when you make focus a priority. Making a living with writing in the last ten years is proof of how making focus a priority has transformed a life. Make focus the goal of your life, rather than outcomes and you will create a process for achievement that helps you win bigger and better than you ever imagined possible for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment